POLL: Huge One Year Swing of Independent Voters Saying Government ‘Doing too Much’

What a difference a year can make. Particularly a year filled with government infringements and overreaching. In a Gallup poll released Thursday, findings show Americans have drastically shifted perspective on how much they want the government involved in their lives.

Gallup News tweeted the results along with the headline “Americans again favor a reduced government role in solving problems facing the country after supporting a more active government role last year.”

52% percent of those polled say the government is doing too much on issues that should be dealt with by businesses and individuals. Only 43% say the government needs to do more to address citizens’ problems.

The numbers have almost flopped from only one year ago when 54% said the government should be doing more, and 41% disagreed. The annual Gallup Governance survey was conducted September 1-17.

The Gallup Poll release stated “the shift toward favoring a more active government role in 2020 was seen among Democrats and independents but not Republicans — likely a response to the coronavirus pandemic and in particular to then-President Donald Trump’s approach to handling it.”

“Trump generally opposed government efforts designed to slow the spread of the virus, such as face mask requirements and business and school closures.” The poll found independent voters shifted their opinions greatly.

“The percentage of independents who said the government’s doing too many things jumped from 38% in 2020 to 57% this year. Republicans edged up from 74% to 80% and Democrats crept up from 13% to 18%.”

Gallup also highlighted the fact that 2020 was only the second time in the poll’s 29 years of asking about the role of government that at least half of Americans supported an active role for government. The first time occurred in 2001 in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.